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Matt Bomer’s ‘first acting role’ was pretending to be straight

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WENN

Matt Bomer considers his “first real acting role” was when he pretended to be a straight man in his youth.

The openly gay actor rose to prominence after appearing in U.S. TV series White Collar, and more recently showed his range in Hollywood films such as Magic Mike XXL and The Normal Heart.

But Matt claims his introduction to the world of performance came as a result of hiding his sexuality from his conservative Christian family as a young man growing up in Texas.

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“I created a character in order to survive,” he told Mr Porter magazine. “I used to work on a gas pipeline with my brother and I’m certain some of the people I worked with were ex-convicts… I had to learn how to protect myself in those environments.”

The 39-year-old apparently did such a convincing job of pretending to be straight, that his brother didn’t believe him when he came out aged 24. While his parents Elizabeth and John weren’t initially accepting of his sexuality, Matt has praised his grandparents for their unwavering support.

“You know who was coolest about it? My grandparents. They gave zero f**ks. My grandma blows my mind. To me, she exemplifies what a loving, accepting Christian is,” he shared, adding that his relationship with his parents is slowly on the mend. “When you’re a family, you just table (put to one side) certain things in order to get to the business of loving each other.”

Matt married publicist Simon Halls in 2011, and the couple share three young sons, including a set of twins. But the handsome star, who is currently appearing in 1930s drama The Last Tycoon, insists that Hollywood remains a difficult place for gay men.

“I have dear friends who are (still in the closet),” he said, before explaining: “It’s an entirely subjective decision. I have kids. I didn’t want them to think that I thought of them as something to be swept under the carpet.”

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